Man steekt zijn pijp op

About this artwork

On loan from the City of Amsterdam

Art Historical Context

**Man steekt zijn pijp (Man Lights His Pipe)***Wallerant Vaillant, 8–1677, mezzotint on paper,268 × 233 mm. On loan from the City Amsterdam.* Step into the cozy world of the Dutch Golden Age with Wallerant Vaillant’s *Man steekt zijn pijp op*, a charming mezzotint capturing a simple moment: a man lighting his pipe Vaillant (1623–1677), a versatile Dutch artist from Rotterdam, excelled in portraiture and genre scenes during the prosperous 17th century, when everyday life became high art. This intimate work, likely from his mature period, reflects the era’s fascination with domestic tranquility amid economic boom and cultural flourishing. Vaillant’s true genius shines in his pioneering use of mezzotint, a revolutionary printmaking technique he helped invent around 1658. By roughening the copper plate with a rocker tool and then scraping highlights, he achieved velvety tones and dramatic chiaroscuro effects impossible in earlier engraving methods—mimicking oil paintings’ richness on humble paper. This small-scale print (about the size of a modern postcard) made sophisticated art accessible, bridging elite painting and popular reproduction. On loan from Amsterdam’s civic collection, it evokes the tactile pleasures of 17th-century leisure—tobacco pipes symbolizing emerging bourgeois comforts. A delightful glimpse into Vaillant’s innovative legacy, it reminds us how ordinary gestures endure as timeless poetry. (198 words)

About the Artist

Wallerant Vaillant · 1623–1677

Wallerant Vaillant (1623-1677) was a French-born Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker who pioneered the mezzotint technique in printmaking. Born in Lille on May 30, 1623, he died in Amsterdam on August 28, 1677, leaving behind a significant legacy as both a portraitist and innovator in graphic arts. Vaillant holds a distinguished place in art history as one of the first professional artists to...